I was curious to see how it measured up, if its cascades were really comparable to the famed Niagara Falls … at the very least, to see a waterfall in the Philippines that had a more prominent width. I’ve never seen one since most of the waterfalls in the country have like a vertical orientation.

The Tinuy-an Falls was located in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur and since Bislig was majorly out of the way from the rest of my itinerary route, I made it my first stop after arriving in Butuan City.

Butuan to Mangagoy, Bislig City

Bislig is the biggest city in Surigao del Sur. I got very confused when I was at the terminal in Butuan and couldn’t find any buses or vans with “Bislig” on their signboard. Turns out, everyone there was more accustomed calling the place “Mangagoy”, which is a barangay of Bislig.

Brgy. Mangagoy is the most populated area and commercial center of the city. Bislig City also has a new(er) urban district in the making, where most of the government offices are located. This newer urban area is what probably comes to mind when someone mentions “Bislig.”

Since we landed in Butuan in the afternoon and it takes around 3 hours land travel to Bislig City, I had to spend the night in town. It was already dark when I arrived in Bislig City … in Mangagoy specifically. I hailed a tricycle and asked the driver to take me to a “cheap place to sleep in town”. He took me to Casa Babano.

Wandered around town and found a small homey eatery. Ordered chicken inasal / grilled chicken with unli rice (P60), chicken skin (P50), coke … yes I was that hungry.

Casa de Babano

Casa de Babano had an aircon room with double bed, private TB, and free breakfast for P400 a night. I’d be interested to know if there are cheaper alternatives in Bislig :)

Casa de Babano in Brgy. Mangagoy, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

Casa de Babano in Brgy. Mangagoy, Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

Getting to Tinuy-an Falls

Walked to the market and approached one of the habal-habal drivers. He agreed to take me to Tinuy-an Falls and then to the van terminal for P300 (including waiting time). Travel time was around 45 minutes to an hour per way.

This way to Tinuy-an Falls

Tinuy-an Falls of Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

The caretakers of the Tinuy-an Falls charged P10 entrance fee for visitors (I heard it’s now P20). There were some developments on the grounds like picnic tabes, a sari-sari store, a small playground, a wooden bridge, and even a floating inflatable raft so visitors could get close to the main cascade.

First view of Tinuy-an Falls

Floating raft at the wooden bridge

Wooden bridge to get to the main viewing area

Picnic tables

Playground

Niagara? or uniquely Tinuy-an?

Located in Brgy. Burboanan (Bislig City, Surigao del Sur), Tinuy-an Falls was composed of three major cascades measuring approximately 95 meters wide and 55 metres (180 ft) high. There was another smaller cascade near the entrance.

Even though it rained the day before, there wasn’t as much water flow as I would’ve hoped / seen in photos :(

The Tinuy-an Falls was really beautiful, one of the most picturesque I’ve seen in the Philippines … but I was expecting more, to be honest, especially since people (and Wikipedia) have been tagging it as a “Niagara” of sorts.

Spent the remaining time to take souvenir photos and wander around.

Durian? and Marang?

Bislig to Butuan City

The habal-habal driver dropped me off at the “Batchelor” bus/van terminal along the highway at 11:55am. Waited for almost 30 minutes for the van to fill up. I sat at the front seat so I could take photos along the way.

On our way to Butuan City

River beside Bislig City Proper

Hinatuan Public Market

Hinatuan Land Terminal

This way to Enchanter River

I wanted to visit the Enchanted River in Hinatuan so bad after seeing photos of its alluring deep blue waters online … but I still have a lot of places to go and limited time. All the more reasons to come back!

The view during the van ride was only interesting for the first 30 minutes (up to Hinatuan) and then things got unremarkable. I wondered what else was there to explore in that area.

Thanks for sharing!

About the Author

My name is Marcos. I'm an off-beat explorer who loves to experience and capture the beauty of the Philippines and Asia. I started making a living online to support myself financially through my university degree. I've been living a location-independent digital lifestyle ever since.

it was a huge swell when we visited Tinuy-an and that was really spectacular. waters were thundering from pressure and volume. you should come and see Tinuy-an in that state maybe so you could appreciate it at its best. here’s my video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiG-mSnOzYI

I am currently in these areas in Mindanao. I am a living witness to the sooo many beautiful spots here, there and almost everywhere. The Tinuy-an falls in Bislig and Awao falls in Monkayo are top on my priority list.